Written by: SuperUser Account
5/16/2009 8:00 AM

Event: IPA Health Seminar - The Right Understanding on Cancer
Date / Time: Saturday, 16 May 2009
Venue: The Cancer Centre, Paragon Medical Centre
Photos: Click HERE!

Cancer: Truths and Myths   by MEGAWATI WIJAYA

Yanny Enmita went to IPA Health Seminar: The Right Understanding on Cancer last Saturday (16 May) with an open mind but little hope.

Her mother was diagnosed with a 4th stage lung cancer in January, though she "never smokes and is always careful of her diet".

Yanny has quitted her job and now, takes turn with the rest of the family members taking care of her mother. Still, cancer seems to be a formidable enemy.

"It's only a matter of time," Yanny said softly.

Another participant came to the talk simply to find out more about the causes of cancer.

"Is it due to strees? Or our diet? Or our environment?" she wondered.

In Singapore, cancer is the number two killer after heart attacks. The top three cancer killers in Singapore among males are colon cancer, lung cancer, and prostrate cancer.

Among women, they are breast cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer.

With his years of experience in oncology, Dr. Wong Seng Weng, the medical director and consultant medical oncologist at The Cancer Centre at the Paragon Medical Centre, is our amiable host and informative educator for the day.

Caption: Dr. Wong Seng Weng from The Cancer Centre

Interesting discussion during IPA Health Seminar: The Right Understanding on Cancer

Cancer is like a terrorist; there is no way cancerous cells can co-exist peacefully with healthy ones, said Dr. Wong. The odds of "an attack by this terrorist" at some point in our lives have risen to one in three, he said.

Because of this serious threat from cancer, Dr. Wong strongly encourages participants before the age of forty, or below if there is a cancer history in the family, to go for a regular cancer check-up.

"There is a very short window between getting diagnosed with cancer, and death may occur if treatment comes late," he said. With prompting from questions that come fast and furious from the floor, Dr. Wong patiently explained common misconceptions on cancer prevention and treatment.

One of the common myths is that chemotherapy kills all the cells in the body, causing patients to grow weak and their chance of survival to decrease.

In fact, chemotherapy can "differentiate good cells from cancerous ones", said Dr. Wong.

"That's why chemotherapy remains used in cancer treatment," he said.

Often, many well-meaning friends also suggest some types of food, such as those protein-laden, that may not be consumed by cancer patients.

"It's impossible to starve cancer cells," said Dr. Wong.

Cancer patients do have lower immunity compared to healthy beings, so the only types of food that need to be avoided are those that are raw or not cooked properly.

"Else, the key is just to have a balanced diet," he said.

Throughout the one-hour talk, Dr. Wong packaged his very enriching information on cancer with interesting facts, diagrams, and graphs on the nature of cancer, as well as its preventive and treatment methods.

His message nevertheless remains loud and clear: Go regularly for a medical check-up to identify cancer, before it ends up decapitating you.

Photo credits: ADE KRISTIANTO LIEM

www.indoprof.com

Trackback Print

Location: Blogs IPA Events

Your name:
Title:
Comment:
Security Code Enter the code shown above in the box below
Add Comment    Cancel